Software documentation is written text that accompanies computer software. It either explains how it operates or how to use it, and may mean different things to people in different roles.

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2answers
51 views

Documenting reports for end-users

I have an application that has about a dozen reports that provide totals and summaries of data in the database based on date ranges given as parameters. The application is near the end of user ...
1
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1answer
37 views

how to map controllers , models, and views as a todo list

Before starting on a current project I was wondering if there is a terminology for what I am planning on doing? Basically what I want to do is map out every object in layers such as all the ...
7
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5answers
332 views

How to document a project which is already developed?

I would like to know what options are available for documenting a project which has already been developed, as the developers who worked on didn't write even a single page of documentation. The ...
-1
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0answers
44 views

Tools to research documentation quickly? [closed]

Is there anything that lets you search something in, say, stackoverflow, google, python documentation and man pages with a same program ?
5
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1answer
134 views

Is there a de facto standard documentor for Javascript?

I'm trying to document my code using JSDOC3, that has a similar syntax to PHPDocumentator / Apigen. But is there a de-facto standard for Javascript inline documentation? I think Google Closure is the ...
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0answers
82 views

HDF vs NOSQl solutions

Hi I get a look in some scientific data stored in HDF5 format and I was wondering if there is any NoSQl solution that will reach the same performance in read/write as HDF5 . The data of my example ...
1
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4answers
368 views

Creating a coding standards document

I work in a control systems company, where the primary work is SCADA and PLC, along with other control systems stuff. Softwre development is not really something the company does, apart from little ...
41
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7answers
2k views

How do you keep track of what classes and functions your team has written?

When working on code, I face many of the same challenges that my teammates do, and I have written some helpful functions and classes, and so have they. If there is good communication, I'll hear about ...
1
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1answer
112 views

Documenting Function That Takes Random Parameters?

What's the best approach to creating documentation (displaying the function prototype if you will) for functions that take a variety of different forms in terms of parameters. Let's say there are 10 ...
2
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3answers
100 views

Preferrable Method to record Documentation

As any taught Software Engineer knows how important Documentation for good software projects is. Could you show me best practices for assure good documentation beside of JavaDoc comments? In my ...
0
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0answers
28 views

What tools can I use to create static demonstration documentation?

As we embark on a project of javascript UI widgets, we need to create demonstration documentation on these widgets. However, we can't create said documentation using a CMS. These should be static ...
2
votes
5answers
274 views

What is the best way to understand code in a project with null documentation?

It is our first game and we are a start-up. We had a programmer who suddenly is seeming to be a dead weight. Though we knew him personally we thought that he was as motivated as we are and hence I ...
4
votes
6answers
741 views

What is the best way to prove that in-code documentation is greater than extensive external documentation?

What is the best way to prove to my boss that in code documentation is greater than extensive external documents containing documentation and screenshots of code/ui? We have a group in the company ...
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0answers
58 views

What is expected in the documentation of a software project [duplicate]

I have about a month left to work on my final year project for college and between all my assignments and exams, I have to write documentation for it. On our college guidelines it states the ...
2
votes
0answers
143 views

Diagrams used to model the architecture and functionality of a website

I am attempting to understand what UML models/diagrams can be used to communicate a websites architecture. The model or models' purpose is to communicate the architecture and functionality of a ...
4
votes
1answer
102 views

Duplicating documentation on interface implementations/overrides good or bad?

So we have an interface like so /// <summary> /// Interface for classes capable of creating foos /// </summary> public interface ICreatesFoo { /// <summary> /// Creates foos ...
3
votes
4answers
509 views

NoSQL and BIG DATA

I am doing an internship on Big Data technologies so I am new to this area. My question is about the use of NoSQL in the Big Data architecture. Do we need always to use a distributed storage (like ...
5
votes
3answers
81 views

XML Documentation for IoC Classes

I'm working on an application that uses Inversion of Control to achieve loose coupling between the Data Access and Business Layers. Having an ILoanApplicationRepository and a ...
36
votes
6answers
1k views

“I”, “We”, or Neither in code documentation

I find myself writing (hopefully) helpful comments in code (C++) documentation of the type: The reason we are doing this is... The reason I use "we" instead of "I" is because I do a lot of academic ...
3
votes
3answers
200 views

Is it correct to exclude argument names from function prototypes?

I was recently creating a small technical documentation for an application. The document is to be used by newly hired programmers to get acquainted with the application. It is much friendlier than the ...
2
votes
3answers
290 views

UML diagrams for small projects

All of a sudden the need for proper formal documentation has become a thing in our organization. A lot of work I do are enhancements and addition to an existing system. Generally a quick fix or a new ...
3
votes
1answer
106 views

Does doxygen support templates for the HTML output?

I've documented my code for doxygen, but I don't want the default HTML it gives. I know I can customize it by providing custom CSS, headers, footers, etc. (like GNOME does), and how I can add common ...
3
votes
2answers
86 views

What's a good format for documenting hundreds of data feeds?

Several governments are starting to publish open data: datasets generated by the goverment, made freely available for citizens to use for value-added app development, analysis, and feedback. For ...
2
votes
2answers
161 views

How do I document a communication protocol on top of message queues and channels?

I'm working on a large project at the moment and I'm trying to document the communication protocol that sits on top of a message queue middleware. The documentation is intended for another ...
0
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0answers
128 views

What is Highcharts using to generate their JavaScript api documentation? [closed]

The Highcharts 3.0 beta was announced today and there's a healthy discussion occurring on Hacker News. In the thread of comments about the release was a comment from Torn about what Highcharts is ...
2
votes
2answers
167 views

Is there any taxonomy/language to describe user interfaces?

I'm currently researching the options which I have, to build an 'Online Help System'. This system should offer the user information about dialogs - which consists mainly out of forms. So my main ...
2
votes
3answers
114 views

How to document events?

Code documentation is usually related to a piece of code, be it small (method-level) or larger (class- or namespace-level). However, it is always about the inputs and the outputs of that piece of ...
6
votes
1answer
197 views

Are there any empirical studies about the effects of commenting source code on software quality, maintainability and developer productivity?

I am an advocate of commenting on source code and documenting software products. It is my personal experience and observation that working on source code that is rigorously commented has helped me in ...
5
votes
2answers
277 views

At what stage of a project should documentation be done?

I was assigned to fix some issues in a PHP project. Later on, I was asked to implement some new features, which I did. The project neither uses any framework nor does it use OOP. It lacks a proper ...
2
votes
1answer
97 views

Is MSDN / Azure Active Directory information available in different formats?

I'd like to read the documentation of Azure Active Directory on my kindle (or similar device), but don't want to use "Print to Kindle" for each and every page. Is the Microsoft documentation for this ...
1
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2answers
532 views

Deliverables in a software development project

Following a standard framework of project management, for a software development project we will provide deliverables (documents and software) at the end of each month : My question is: From May ...
15
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6answers
930 views

Can you claim that your product is fit for purpose when it uses OSS software which does not guarantee it?

I am working on a product for a client that must be valid and fit for purpose. It's built on a LAMP stack (PHP/Cake), so there's GPL, MIT, PHP, APACHE licenses: "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES ...
0
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2answers
296 views

Software Requirement Specification documentation by professionals

I just wanted to know what is the significance of SRS(Software Requirement Specification) in programming? and what are the techniques used in preparation of an SRS .. also who writes the SRS.. is it ...
0
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0answers
73 views

Best way to find a co-author and a publisher for a book on an open source project? [closed]

This may be an odd question but I am the author of an open-source project and it is becoming clear that the only way to have real adoption is to write a full book on how to properly use the project. ...
1
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1answer
144 views

Splitting documentation between docstrings and sphinx

I'm using a combination of docstrings and Sphinx to document my Python programs. With Sphinx's autodoc, I can write a lot of documentation into the source as docstrings. Is there any standard for ...
1
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0answers
101 views

documentation of typescript code

my question is rather short: How do I document typescript code properly? I found out that for projects becoming bigger and bigger, it is important to look at a function and immediately know ...
1
vote
1answer
105 views

What is Context Diagram in a SRS?

I am learning how to write a System Requirements Specifications, and most of templates I have seen talk of a Context Diagram. What exactly is a Context Diagram?
1
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2answers
166 views

Are there differences between Functionality and Functional Requirements

I'm writing some documentation in a project in a tool. In this tool of mine, and write in specific area, I have here use Case, Business Rule, N-Diagram Types, and Functionality and Functional ...
7
votes
4answers
549 views

Git-friendly spreadsheet format?

We're trying to move our project documentation process from Google Documents to a set of self-hosted Git repositories. Text documents are Git-friendly enough, since we usually do not need any fancy ...
6
votes
3answers
162 views

How to refer to specific areas of code in documentation?

I'm about to leave a project, and before I go my boss has asked for me to document code (I've not documented very well). It's not a big deal, the project is not terribly complex. But I'm finding ...
4
votes
2answers
113 views

How to properly include field validation in a Software Documenation

I'm developing a software documentation in a project, and much of it are just CRUD or CRUD based functions. As you can imagine, a lot of the rules are constraints about fields validation, things like ...
2
votes
2answers
496 views

Describing requirements in SRS - use cases?

I do not have the access to the IEEE standard and information on the net are contradictory. Can I capture user requirements in SRS using use cases? Or I should keep use cases separate as they are more ...
2
votes
2answers
103 views

Wiki/markup in enterprise as documentation [closed]

Why it is less common to use wiki/markup in enterprise as documentation? They use Word document instead. Wiki/markup are in text format, which is version control friendly.
0
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2answers
2k views

What is the difference between technical specifications and design documents?

What are technical specifications? Are they the same as design documents. If not, what is the difference and some examples?
1
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2answers
214 views

Formalizing a requirements spec written in narrative English

I have a fairly technical functionality requirements spec, expressed in English prose, produced by my project manager. It is structured as a collection of UI tabs, where the requirements for each tab ...
5
votes
2answers
221 views

How does one read RFCs and similar documents?

RFC: Request for Comments (RFC) is a memorandum published by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) describing methods, behaviors, research, or innovations applicable to the working of the ...
2
votes
2answers
122 views

Questions to ask a 3rd party API provider [closed]

I'm due to meet with a developer/sales person from a new 3rd party resource we're about to start using. The main topic I'll be interested in, is their API as I will be the developer making use of it ...
5
votes
5answers
548 views

Is a functional spec a part of the System requirement spec?

I wonder, sources like wikipedia or templates I found shows that Functional spec is a part of System requirement documents. I always thought that SRD is just overall decsription of the system, with ...
5
votes
3answers
194 views

Commenting regular expressions

Are there any common practises for commenting the regular expressions: inline comments referring different part of RegEx or general comment for all expression?
0
votes
1answer
59 views

Is there such a thing as a specification-code framework?

I've been googling for a while and can't fathom why this doesn't exist yet. By a specification-code workflow I mean a system which links code to it's specification. For example I could be looking at ...

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